Years ago, I almost died. Encephalitis attacked my brain without warning. One day, I was living a busy life of speaking, writing, leading and teaching. Soon after, I found myself in a hospital room, unable to process information the same way I once had. The illness left permanent damage on the left side of my brain and brought continuing challenges of epilepsy, memory, fatigue and learning. For a while, I wondered if the life I had known was over.